ISDP Voices

In order to understand another’s perspective we often say ─put yourself in his/her shoes ─but we are not putting ourselves in Kim Jong Un’s shoes when North Korea announced their difficulty over Covid-19 crisis on May 12 for the first time, as many across the world are naively ingesting whatever North Korean news outlets are […]

John Lee’s election as Chief Executive of Hong Kong demonstrates what elections mean now in Hong Kong as well as Beijing’s hardline policy towards the territory.  The pro-democracy movement refused to take part in the elections to the Legislative Council and the Election Committee constituted for the election of the Chief Executive in the past […]

After World War II, Japan, much like Germany, quickly caught up with the richest of countries in terms of economic development and standards of living. Yet, unlike Germany, and indeed any other highly developed democracy, Japan still lags significantly in one such indicator of human development, namely female political representation. While this discrepancy could be […]

Vladimir Putin has his own rhythm of war that lingers in his ears but the rhythm of the combat he expected in Ukraine has reduced its speed from ‘Presto’ to ‘Adagio.’ Putin has ordered his military to play the war drums faster but is still stuck in the ‘Andante’ at its best.  A big concert […]

Stalin should be praised for his efforts to modernize the Soviet Union, while Khrushchev was too influenced by the West and Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika paved the way for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Above all, Putin should be praised for making the Russians proud and patriotic again and for cleansing the country from […]

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera writes on the current Sri Lankan crisis and foresee how the strategic-trap diplomacy is strongly linked to the debt-trap diplomacy pursued by China through the BRI projects.

Most Japanese people have taken the routine poliovirus vaccination for granted, but the Japanese people suffered from an outbreak of polio in the past, and the response and crisis management of the polio endemic has profound implications for the current coronavirus pandemic and Japan’s vaccine diplomacy.

The name, ‘Donald Trump’ is the magic word that divides politics into two sides like Moses’ miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea. The liberal side remembers it as their worst nightmare while the Conservative side worships his name next to only Jesus. Whichever side you belong to, the name has entered Korean politics […]

On March 25, 2022, EU leaders endorsed the long-awaited release of the EU Strategic Compass – a guiding document meant to inform the coming decade of EU security and defense policy. The Compass has been significantly revised in the last few months compared to the November 2021 draft. One major development in the interim has […]

The Chinese government has launched an intensified crackdown on the entertainment industry as part of a larger effort to tighten control over young minds and ensure ideological security. The industry is portrayed as creating chaos and promoting degenerate morals, ultimately posing a serious health risk to its audience. In response, weekly time limits have been […]